Talkmobile Playbook 2020
Talkmobile, a Vodafone subsidiary aimed at older smartphone users, was long-neglected. I was tasked with refreshing the brand tonally and visually. This playbook was the first step.
A playbook designed to reinvigorate a brand
Talkmobile was founded in 2007 by Carphone Warehouse (remember them?). Vodafone then bought it in 2017, intending to market it towards older smartphone users who are perhaps less impressed with the frills of mainstream phone contracts (with unlimited data, calls, and texts, entertainment packages, and so on).
The brand was largely untouched for three years, until I was assigned to the brand. I was tasked with rewriting Talkmobile’s Playbook for 2020. I worked with senior Brand Managers and senior stakeholders at Talkmobile to establish some rules for making sense when talking about Talkmobile.
“Cheap” doesn’t have to be a dirty word
There’s a time and a place for aspirational language when talking about a brand. A network as straightforward as Talkmobile, however, is not it.
Talkmobile offers 30-day and 12-month SIM only plans, all of which have unlimited calls and texts. The customer has to make two choices: firstly, how long they want to be locked in, and secondly, how much data they want.
Talkmobile doesn’t offer 5G. It has few phone plans. It doesn’t offer Spotify, or Disney+, or Amazon Prime, and it doesn’t have a loyalty scheme. What it does offer is steady signal (it works on Vodafone’s network, after all, and reaches over 99% of the UK population) at a super-competitive price.
I chose to lean into those facts. Rather than promise users the world, I promised them exactly what they’d get: proper value, steady service, and a straightforward experience. It might not be for millenials or Gen Zers, but it’s certainly for a lot of people.
The playbook was written with insight in mind, including analysis of our existing target audience (the 45-55 demographic) conducted prior to the assignment, as well as my own research.
The tone clearly struck a chord - Talkmobile significantly exceeded its yearly targeted financial performance.
That’s enough context. You can read for yourself, below.
Want to read the full playbook?
The Playbook - a highlights reel
This wasn't just a couple of slides in a deck. I won't put the entire presentation up, but this'll give you a sense of what went into it.
Talkmobile's core principles, in four words.
Provide a problem...
... and a solution.
Some insight went into this - four pages' worth, which I won't share here. You'll just have to take my word for it (or check the Contents page).
For the use of non-creatives approving marketing collateral.
My favourite game. Talkmobile in 50...
... 100...
... and 150 words.
Do...
Don't...
Some final guidelines on grammar and style.
This Playbook has acted as the tonal framework for all communications that customers see when they interact with Talkmobile.
No-nonsense, straightforward value. Straight from the heart of a northerner.